Robust image data hiding method based on multiple backups and pixel bit weight

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Dong, Yu^a | Zhang, Xianquan^{a; *} | Yu, Chunqiang^{b; *} | Tang, Zhenjun^a | Xia, Guoen^c

Affiliations: [a] Guangxi Key Lab of Multi-Source Information Mining & Security, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China | [b] School of Computer Science and Information Technology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China | [c] School of Business Administration, Guangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanning, China

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors. Xianquan Zhang E-mail: zxq@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn; and Chunqiang Yu E-mail: mit2007@mailbox.gxnu.edu.cn.

Abstract: Digital images are easily corrupted by attacks during transmission and most data hiding methods have limitations in resisting cropping and noise attacks. Aiming at this problem, we propose a robust image data hiding method based on multiple backups and pixel bit weight (PBW). Especially multiple backups of every pixel bit are pre-embedded into a cover image according to a reference matrix. Since different pixel bits have different weights, the most significant bits (MSBs) occupy more weights on the secret image than those of the least significant bits (LSBs). Accordingly, some backups of LSBs are substituted by the MSBs to increase the backups of MSBs so that the quality of the extracted secret image can be improved. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm is robust to cropping and noise attacks for secret image.

Keywords: Data hiding, anti-cropping, anti-noise, multi-backup data, pixel bit weight, reference matrix

DOI: 10.3233/JIFS-210862

Journal: Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, vol. 41, no. 6, pp. 6935-6948, 2021